Another man pleads guilty in Chinese delivery driver murder

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Less than 24 hours after a Wilmington man was convicted of murder, another man pleaded guilty in the killing of a Chinese delivery driver.

A jury found Cornell Haugabook Jr. guilty of first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle and possession of a firearm by a felon Wednesday in the 2012 shooting death of Zhen Bo Liu.

On Thursday, Assistant District Attorney Dru Lewis said Rasheed Ramone Thompson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon. Lewis said he did enter a plea deal after Thompson agreed to give truthful testimony for any of the remaining trials in this case.

There were six people originally charged in this murder and they were all under the age of 21. Haugabook, Mustafaa Friend, Thompson and Manije Johnson-Martin were all facing a first-degree murder charges. Marvin White and Nathaniel Lawrence were each indicted on a charge of robbery with a dangerous weapon.

Johnson-Martin pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and robbery two years ago. White admitted to conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon last year. Lawrence pleaded guilty to robbery. All three testified against Haugabook.

Friend is the only suspect left to go to trial. Lewis said if Thompson gives truth testimony in that trial, Thompson will serve 125-162 months in prison for his crimes. Lewis said Friend’s trial date has not been set yet.